An Alternate Route To Rebellion
by mashmallo2020
Summary: AU. Katniss and Peeta were never reaped. It is the 96th Hunger Games. Annalise Hawthorne, Katniss and Gale's eldest daughter, volunteers for her younger sister Ariana. The story of the spark that ignited the rebellion.
1. The Reaping

It is the 96th Hunger Games. My last reaping. And my little sister's first.

My heart constricts just thinking about her.

Ariana is the sweetest, most innocent and loving girl in District Twelve. She sings like an angel and laughs at anything and everything. No one can hate her even if they tried. She has one slip in the reaping bowl. Technically, the odds are in her favor.

But I know that in the Districts of Panem, the odds are in nobody's favor.

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I stand in the blistering sun among all of the other children.

Children, who are standing in their nicest clothes, awaiting the moment when two among them will be reaped to participate in a sadistic show called the Hunger Games. This is regarded as entertainment by the silly, overprivileged, and brainwashed citizens of the Capitol. For the Capitol itself however, it is a ploy to intimidate the Districts by murdering their innocent children and to ultimately vanquish all their hopes for rebelling. Truly sickening, in my opinion.

Once all the residents of District Twelve are herded into their designated areas, Ceci Trinket struts confidently to the microphone at the center of the stage.

This year she is dressed in an awful bright yellow ensemble that is rather painful to look at.

"Welcome residents of District Twelve, to the reaping of the ninety-sixth Hunger Games!" She announces excitedly. "Now remember everyone, it is a great honor to represent your district in these games, so act like it!" She adds, flashing an alarmingly white smile. "Let's get right to it! Oh, and may the odds be ever in your favor!"

Ceci Trinket sashays over to the bowl containing the slips of all the girls eligible for the Hunger Games. It seems that everyone in the square holds their breath as her hand plunges into the bowl. After rifling through the mass of slips for a moment, she extracts one carefully. This single slip of paper contains the death sentence of one unlucky girl standing in this square. No one wants this girl to be someone they know.

Please don't let it be Ariana. Anyone... Anyone, but Ariana. I think desperately.

Ceci painstakingly unfolds the paper, and opens her mouth to proclaim the name of the female tribute.

"Ariana Hawthorne."

No.

This is all I can think.

So much for the odds.

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I sprint to my little sister. I need to help her. I need to save her.

"Ari!"

"Ari, no!"

My voice is shrill and nothing like it is normally. I curse myself.

Peacekeepers surround me as soon as I reach the center aisle. I struggle against them. Don't they understand? I have to get to my sister! Then it hits me.

"I volunteer!" I shriek.

"I volunteer as tribute!"

The Peacekeepers let me go, and I barrel towards Ariana. She throws her skinny arms around me and starts sobbing.

"No Annalise! You can't do this! You can't leave! You can't!" Ariana's anguished cries pierce through the deathly silence in the square.

Peacekeepers rush to pry off Ariana off from me, so that I can go up to the stage. To my surprise, an elder redheaded peacekeeper whispers something to the rest of the Peacekeepers, and they step back as he gently takes Ariana into his arms. I am grateful for the compassionate Peacekeeper.

The large screens on the stage display the cameras capturing the Peacekeeper bringing Ariana to my parents. Their faces are void of emotion, but my mother's body is trembling. I feel terrible for her. I recall my father telling me that my mother used to not want to have children for this exact reason.

"Well then! Looks like we have a volunteer...Come on up dear!" Ceci Trinket squeals.

I slowly faces the stage and then start walking towards it confidently. I sneak a glance at the screens. I look determined and fearless.

"What's your name dear?" Ceci asks curiously once I am on the stage.

"Annalise Hawthorne."

I feel proud when my voice doesn't waver in the slightest.

"Oh! That was your little sister, wasn't it?" Ceci inquires excitedly. "How sweet!" I merely glare at her. Ceci flinches under my gaze, and turns quickly back to the crowd.

"Let's give a round of applause for our brave volunteer, Annalise Hawthorne!"

Not a single person claps.

Suddenly, every person in the square... young and old, male and female, merchant and seam, kiss the three fingers on their left hand and raise them to the sky.

This is a salute to the bravery and sacrifice of someone. They are giving it to me. I choke back a sob.

The silence is deafening.

When Ceci regains her composure, she clears her throat awkwardly.

"Oh! This is so exciting..."

She clears her throat again.

"And now, we shall the draw the name of the male tribute."

She quickly walks over to the boys' reaping bowl and whisks out the first piece of paper she touches.

I don't even have even have time to wish for the slip not to contain the names of either Storm or Austin, my younger brothers, when Ceci calls it.

"Liam Starkfield."

I recognize him vaguely from school. He is in my grade, a son of a merchant. He is very popular and a complete jerk.

I sigh. At least I won't have a problem with him dying.

The elderly Mayor Undersee reads the Treaty of Treason and Liam and I are whisked into separate rooms to await our final goodbyes.

°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°

My younger brothers and sister come to see me first. Ariana climbs onto my lap and sobs the entire time. She keeps saying how it is all her fault that I am going into the games.

"It's not your fault, Ariana," I tell her. "It's the Capitol's fault."

My brothers sit on either side of me on the couch and are convincing me that I can win. All too soon, their time is up.

I hug all of them and tell them I love them before Peacekeepers take them out of the room. They practically have to drag out Ariana, who becomes hysterical. Seeing my sister in so much pain is absolutely horrible. I squeeze my eyes shut and will the tears that are threatening to escape to stay put. I need to be strong for my mother.

My parents rush to me when the door opens the second time. My mother's face is as white as a sheet. My father's is absolutely furious. I soon realize he's not mad at me, but at the Capitol. He rages about the unfairness of it all, and exactly where he thinks President Snow should go. And then he starts to cry. I have never seen my father cry.

My mother holds me so tightly I can barely breathe. She keeps telling me how much she loves me, and what a beautiful, strong, brave daughter I am.

That's when I start to cry. So much for being strong for my mother. That's when I realize that I don't need to be strong for her. She's strong enough on her own.

"We love you Annalise!"

My parents call to me as they are shoved out of the room. I try not think about how this might be the last time I ever see them.

I best friend Katrina visits me next. She doesn't talk much, and that suits me just fine. To my surprise she gives me a pin with a mockingjay on it.

"It represents hope and freedom." She tells me. "It was my great aunt's."

I am so stunned, I have no idea what to say.

"Thank you." I manage in a hushed whisper. Katrina just smiles sadly at me.

Before she leaves, she says one more thing.

"Annalise, don't let them change you."

I am left to ponder the meaning of her words.

 **Thanks for reading! Please review.**


	2. The Preparation

As the tribute train nears the Capitol, I realize three things: Ceci Trinket is the most irritating person I have ever met, Liam Starkfield is the biggest whiner I have ever met (he even whines more than Ariana), and Haymitch Abernathy is the most disgusting animal I have ever met. All in all, I have the most wonderful company as I head toward my death. I spend most of the time on the train locked up in my room and away from Ceci's horrible accent, Liam's whining, and Haymitch's puking. I have even decided to eat my meals in my room.

One evening, as I leave my room to get a glass of water, I hear someone sobbing in the television room. At first think it is Liam, who cries every night for his family and friends. Then I realize it is Haymitch.

I hurry into the room and find Haymitch huddled in a corner, drunk as hell, and tears streaming down his face.

"Why are you crying?" I ask him curiously.

Haymitch lets out a shuddering breath.

"I'm thinking of all the innocent people the Capitol has killed." He slurs.

And for the first time in my whole life, I actually feel sorry for him.

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When we finally reach the Capitol, I am instantly dragged to the Remake Center. There I am "beautified", or as I put it, "prepared for slaughter".

For the Tribute Parade, Liam and I are dressed in black jumpsuits that glow like coal embers. Honestly we don't look half bad, but I refuse to appreciate anything from the Capitol. Except for the food.

When the District Twelve chariot exits from the tunnel, all the Capitolites start screaming even louder than they were before. Liam starts waving and smiling at the crowd like the tributes before us, but I can't do that. These are the people that will bet if I live or die in their sadistic show. Instead of waving, I settle at glaring at the crowd.

When I peek at the screens I am grateful I did so. All the smiling and waving tributes look like idiots.

I look menacing.

All the cameras are glued to me even as the chariots near the Presidential Podium.

When the Tribute Parade ends, every single tribute, including Liam, is glaring daggers at me.

Looks like all 23 tributes are already out to get me.

The Opening Ceremonies have barely started.

°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°

During the Training Sessions, I avoid the archery and knot stations. I think it is best I appear mediocre.

I try to learn new skills just in case I will have to use them. To my surprise, I am actually not completely terrible at throwing spears. I am also good at knife throwing. A few of my knives even hit the dead center of the targets.

Most of the tributes choose to ignore me and I do the same. I don't want to form an alliance. I am stronger in my own.

I notice the Careers watching me more than once. I try not be fazed, but I can't help wondering what they are thinking.

At one point, the girl from District Two comes over to talk to me.

"Annalise, right? I'm Athena. The tributes from One and my district partner and I were wondering if you would like to join our alliance." She pauses dramatically. "It will be a great honor for you if you join us."

I scowl at her.

"I'm sorry, but I would never join an alliance of Capitol lapdogs." I hiss through my teeth.

Athena's mouth fall open, but she quickly recovers. She huffs at me and whips around.

"Your loss!" She calls back to me as she walks back to where she came from.

°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°

I wait for nearly six hours in a cold room for my individual training session. I curse the fact that District Twelve has to be the last in everything.

When they finally call my name I am shaking violently from nervous anticipation. I still have no idea how I plan to impress the Gamemakers.

I will myself not to shake, take a deep breath, and enter the Training Room.

I walk to the corner which contains all the weapons, and retrieve a bow. Then I go over to the archery simulator. I do extremely well, in my opinion, hitting every single target dead on and dodging all the virtual blows, hits, and weapons sent in my direction.

When I exit the simulator, I am disappointed to see that few of the Gamemakers are impressed. Although I can't blame them for being tired of sitting all day, it is still rather rude considering that the score they give me might distinguish my life from death.

I then try to capture their attention by throwing knives. I hit all the targets dead-center. One of my knives even slices through a thin rope that suspends a target in the air.

The Gamemakers are still not paying any attention to me. In fact, they seem more interested that a roasted elephant is being brought out to them.

That makes me furious.

Suddenly, an idea strikes me.

I retrieve my bow and aim it at the large portrait of President Snow that hangs above and behind the platform where the Gamemakers are associated.

I release the arrow and it soars between the terrified Gamemakers and lodges itself into the painting. Right into President Snow's heart.

Later that evening, the training scores are announced. The Careers receive scores ranging from 8 to 10. The girl from Five receives an eight. The boy from District Six receives a nine. The rest of the tributes receive lower scores.

Then it is time for District Twelve. Liam manages to get a seven. Our prep team squeals and Haymitch nods his approval.

It seems that Caesar is purposefully taking extra time to announce my score.

"And now, last but not least, the female tribute from District Twelve, Annalise Hawthorne!"

"A score of 12."

I vaguely register Ceci shrieking and Haymitch letting out a loud whoop. I am so elated.

Then I realize, the Gamemakers didn't do this to help me. By giving me this score, they painted a huge target on my back. I will be first on every other tributes' kill list, if I wasn't already.

Caesar is still talking about my legendary score and how I made history, but I'm not listening anymore.

I leave before I can satisfy my urge to throw something at the television.

°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°

The night of the interviews is rather mundane in my opinion.

The District One tributes are arrogant and the District Two tributes are ruthless.

The only other threat seems to be the boy from District Six. His giant stature and unforgiving glare is extremely intimidating.

The tributes from District 10 are two twelve-year-olds. They are so small, I am probably twice their height, and that is saying something. They are also apparently cousins. They didn't say, but I guess that their family did something to upset the Capitol and the reaping was rigged.

The rest of the tributes are extremely forgettable.

When a little boy from District Eleven finishes his interview, my name is called.

The noise of the crowd is deafening.

Caesar beams at me as I strut towards him confidently.

"My, my, Annalise!" He gasps. "You look gorgeous!"

"Why thank you, Caesar!" I answer coyly.

"I think I am speaking for everyone here when I say that we have been absolutely astounded by you!" He says.

I give the audience a superficial smile.

"Now, let's talk about your score. A twelve!" Caesar tilts his head. "Could you give us a hint how you received that astounding score?"

"I would love to tell you, but I don't think I am allowed to." I say sadly.

"I am afraid it would cause too much turmoil." I add sarcastically.

The audience lets out outraged yells as I give them a conspiratorial wink.

Caesar then asks me if I have a special guy at home that I would like to come back to.

" I am a strong, independent woman," I answer confidently. "I don't need a man to be happy."

The crowd roars in response. I am completely winning them over.

"Now Annalise, I would like to ask about your little sister that you volunteered for. Can you tell us about her?" Caesar inquires quietly as the crowd goes silent.

"Her name is Ariana," I say.

"She is the sweetest, most radiant, and genuinely happy person I know. She wouldn't have stood a chance in the Games, but I can and will fight for her."

Caesar then asks his last question.

"My dear Annalise, do you have any last words of wisdom for us?"

I choose my words carefully.

"Always have hope," I say. "For it only takes a spark to create an inferno."

 **Thanks for reading! Please review.**


	3. The Games

The split second after the gong sounds, I am already running. The other tributes haven't even stepped off their plates yet.

As I sprint, my heart is in my throat, my feet are pounding on the ground, and my adrenaline is pulsing. My vision has narrowed to accompany only the silver bow and arrow in front of me. It is mere feet away from the cornucopia. Leave it to the Gamemakers to find a way to force me to run to the very center of the bloodbath. Nevertheless, the bow will be mine and I will make it out of here alive.

I ignore the screams of children dying horrible deaths and finish sprinting the last stretch towards my destination.

I snatch the bow as soon as I reach it, and notch the arrow with lightning speed. I spin around and consider my surroundings.

Like I predicted, the Careers are cornering and killing the weak and unfortunate tributes, eliminating the easy prey. Cowards.

Pure hunter's instincts save my life as I duck to avoid a knife hurtling towards me from behind. I whip around, trying to find my assailant. Another tribute gets to him first. He is dead before he hits the ground.

Composing myself, I try to decide which way I should run. I have wasted so much time already...

In the direction of my fallen assailant, lies a daunting cliff. I have no choice but to turn back to the direction I came from, right to the midst of the bloodbath. I swivel around determinedly, and smack right into the girl from Five.

The girl snarls at me, a feral look in her eyes. I flinch unconsciously. I raise my bow and aim it straight at her chest. I know I can easily kill her, but something in me falters. I just can't kill her.

I remember Katrina's words.

 _"Annalise, don't let them change you."_

Was this what Katrina meant? Killing other tributes?

 _You're right, Katrina._ I think. _I won't let the Capitol make me a piece of their games._

With my head held high, I nobly lower my bow and race into the woods.

°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°

After the anthem plays that night, the Gamemakers begin projecting the pictures of the fallen tributes. My hatred towards the Capitol grows consistently as they replace the image of one dead tribute with the next. I can't believe they are all dead. It doesn't seem real.

By the time the demonstration finishes, I am seething with anger. I barely refrain from reciting every foul word I know. I wonder what the mighty President Snow would think of that...

 _Alright, enough happy thoughts, Annalise._

I attempt to continue eating the rabbit I had been feasting on before I was rudely interrupted by the anthem, but I can't keep it down. This is just not right.

Suddenly I have an idea. I gracefully jump out of the tree I had been perched in, and wait a few seconds to make sure every camera in the area is pointed at me. I kiss three fingers of my left hand and raise it in a salute to the fallen tributes.

This gesture can be interpreted as a sign of respect for the dead, but I am hoping that people in the Districts of Panem will understand what this really is; an act of rebellion.

°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°

I am tracking a particularly stubborn squirrel for dinner the next day when I hear loud yells in the distance.

I recognize those yells for being that of the Careers... Careers who are delighted to have found yet another victim.

I instantly feel fear for the unfortunate soul that has been discovered by the heartless alliance.

Before I even consider the consequences, I am sprinting in the direction of the yells. I am not sure what I plan to do, but I cannot let someone get killed when I could have helped.

As I reach the clearing where the yells came from, I see Liam lying on the ground and the burly boy from District Two standing above him, sword raised high.

Without thinking, I let the arrow, which had been notched into my bow seconds before, slice through the air and embed itself in the Career's neck. The boy gives a strangled cry and falls to the ground, dead.

He is my first kill. So much for my refusal to be a murderer.

I glance at Liam, who is gazing at me in wonder. I feel slightly guilty that I haven't given a passing thought about him while I was in the arena, but I guess my saving him makes up for that fact. I jog over to him and casually sling my bow over my shoulder to show that I don't plan on hurting him. Liam stands up slowly and brushes his grimy hands over his pants.

"Thanks, Annalise," he says softly, "for saving my life."

I merely shrug.

"It's no big deal." I answer.

I hesitantly walk a few steps closer to him, gauging his reaction, and sit down. He sits down as well.

I hand him some of my leftover meat from my lunch, and he offers me a few sips of water from his canteen.

Liam and I talk about our home, our school, our friends, and just about anything except the cursed arena.

I learn that Liam is actually pretty decent at hand-to-hand combat, and he compliments my skill with the bow.

I find it odd that we are getting along so well. People from the Seam and Town usually don't intermix, and there is an unspoken hatred and rivalry between the two groups. But here we are, a merchant's son and a coal miner's daughter, talking, smiling, laughing...

As we sit in a comfortable silence, gazing into the distance, and I decide to voice the thought that had been roaming in my mind.

"Hey, Liam," I say tentatively. "What would you say about becoming allies?"

He looks over at me curiously.

"What use would I be to you?" He asks.

"Well I may be good with a bow and surviving, but if I get jumped, I'm dead." I answer. "You will be more useful than you think."

He hesitates, but eventually nods.

"Sure."

"Allies?" I ask, holding out my hand.

"Allies." He confirms, shaking it.

...

What Annalise and Liam did not know, was that as they shook hands, every single person in their District's Town Square, after standing paralyzed in shock for a few moments, erupted into applause. District Twelve was no longer divided into Merchant and Seam. The District was united and unstoppable.

°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°

The next day passes without much action. The day after that however, I wake up to the noise of trees crashing down. I listen to the deafening noise of the tumult. It definitely does not sound like fire. So what could it be? It almost sounds like...water.

 _It's a flood._

I whip around and yank Liam's arm to wake him as well. Once he is up, we sprint together with all our strength. We need to find higher ground.

This is when it begins to rain. Droplets the size of grapes plummet us mercilessly. I see lightning in the distance.

 _Higher ground, higher ground, higher ground._ This is all I can think. Then an idea strikes me.

"Liam!" I scream over the deafening noise. "Turn right!"

"Where are we going?" He yells back.

"The cliff!"

He looks at me questioningly, but obliges.

We have slowed down a great deal, and it has cost us. Water is already lapping at our heals. I know how to swim, but I will not be able to handle the strong currents of the flood. Liam stands no chance at all, he can't swim.

"Hurry!" I yell. "We can make it! Don't give up!"

A couple agonizing minutes later, we finally make it to the cliff. Our only hope to survive is to climb up it. There is no time to think of another plan, so we have no choice but to start climbing the practically smooth surface that has barely any handholds. Pure adrenaline keeps us moving up. I force myself not to look down. If I do, I know I will panic and fall.

A particularly large wave hits the bottom of cliff merely feet away from Liam and I. If we had been any slower, we would be dead.

When we reach the top of the cliff, we collapse. We are completely spent.

When I finally am able to close my eyes, a bellowing laugh snaps me awake again.

I see the male tribute from District Six standing a couple feet away from Liam. He raises his sword plunges it into Liam's chest.

"No!" I scream. But the boy is already gone.

I am blinded by rage and fury. I scream at the sky.

"Murderers!"

°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°

The next few days pass in a daze. I can barely convince myself to eat and drink. Liam's death was all my fault. I could have saved him. If I had only tried a little harder, fought a little harder, it wouldn't be like this. I wouldn't be all alone.

Suddenly, I am yanked from my depressing thoughts. Someone is screaming. A little girl.

 _Wait. Is that... Ariana?_

I am hurtling through the woods. I am making so much noise, but I don't even care. Ariana. What if she is killed? Like Liam. I choke back a sob.

The screams are getting nearer. They are coming from a clearing. Tears cloud my vision, but I refuse to let them free. _Don't cry, Annalise. Stay strong._

I reach the clearing. The girl screaming is not Ariana. It is the tiny twelve-year-old girl from District 10. A spear is embedded in her stomach.

Another sob constricts my throat. This time, I let it out. I race towards the little girl. _Maybe I can still save her..._ I know I am only kidding myself.

I feel so helpless. A little girl is dying in my arms and I can do nothing to ease her pain. There is nothing I can do. Nothing. Except...

I begin singing. At first my words are thick with tears, but they become clearer the longer I sing.

...

 _Deep in the meadow_

 _Under the willow_

 _A bed of grass_

 _A soft green pillow_

...

 _Lay down your head_

 _And close your eyes_

 _And when they open_

 _The sun will rise_

 _..._

 _Here it's safe_

 _Here it's warm_

 _Here the daisies guard_

 _You from every harm_

 _..._

 _And here your dreams are sweet_

 _And tomorrow brings them true_

 _Here is the place where I love you_

 _..._

The little girl closes her eyes for the last time with a smile upon her lips.

°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°

I am walking through a thicket of trees, when I hear a loud snap of a twig. I take off running.

A knife whizzes past me, missing my head by inches. I begin sprinting even faster.

Suddenly, someone jumps at me and knocks me to the ground. I hit my head. Hard.

When I recover from the blow, I am finally able to register who my assailant is. It is Athena, the girl from Two. She is hovering above me and her legs render my arms useless.

She raises her knife to my throat.

"Say your goodbyes, Twelve." Athena snarls. "I am going to kill you."

She raises the knife, but I am faster. I lock my leg, which happens to be free, around her waist, and flip her over so that I am on top of her.

"Not so fast." I say, my voice hollow.

I yank the knife from her grasp. I plan to plunge it into her chest, but at the last second I falter, and it embeds into her stomach instead. I am shaking.

To my utter confusion, Athena begins to cry.

"I can't believe I almost killed you. Your little sister would have been distraught. And I killed so many other people too... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Something in me breaks as I watch her cry. I know how she feels. I felt the same way when I killed the boy from Two.

However these deaths are not my fault, and not Athena's fault...

"It's alright, Athena," I say. "It's not your fault... It's the Capitol's."

°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°

After my treasonous choice of words, the Gamemakers have been working very hard to try and eliminate me.

To my disappointment, they have confiscated all of my sponsor gifts. This however is the least of my worries at the moment.

Yesterday, I had woken to a raging fire. The fire was completely unnatural. It spread twice as fast as a normal one would, and had very toxic fumes. If that wasn't enough, fireballs plummeted me from all directions as I ran away from it. I had barely escaped alive.

Back then I had thought that it was merely a coincidence, but since then there have plenty more incidents.

Poisonous fog, strategically placed lightning strikes, snake traps, monkey mutts, wolf mutts...

All of these incidents had occurred within the span of one day. After the third incident, I was certain the Gamemakers were intent on killing me.

I would want to say that I escaped alive every time because of skill, but the longer I was alive, the more certain I was that it was pure luck.

Just now, I had barely escaped an onslaught of feral bird mutts by distracting them with some extra rabbit meat.

I had been dealing with these incidents rather well in my opinion, but this last one has irked me the wrong way for some reason. I snap.

"Hey Gamemakers! Why don't you tell President Snow I won't go down this easily!" I shout.

I instantly feel _much_ better.

°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°°ºooº°

Twenty two tributes have died. It is just me and the boy from District One left. The final two.

The Gamemakers drive us together for the finale by drying up all the water sources and killing off all the animals, except for a small area around the Cornucopia. Brilliant.

I am waiting at the horn for what seems like an eternity. I just want to get this over with. Then, I see him.

I instantly aim my bow at his heart. I sincerely hope I won't falter when I let this arrow go.

To my utter surprise and confusion, he begins speaking.

"Look, Annalise." He says, his voice oddly soft. "This may come as a surprise to you, but I had been watching you most of the time in the arena."

I suck in a sharp breath, and he pauses.

"I thought you were so brave and beautiful. But I also felt something else when I looked at you. Hope. I think that you are what Panem needs for it to have a better future." He smiles wryly at me.

"Good luck, Annalise. I believe in you."

I scream as he plunges the knife in his hand into his own heart, but it is too late.

I am the Victor of the 96th Hunger Games.

 **Thanks for reading! Please review.**


End file.
